Ocean Eyes
by Daytime Stars
Summary: Life on the Islands was getting back to normal for Sora, Riku and Kairi after the defeat of Xemnas. Until the Worlds began to scream. Suddenly, the three are pulled into the plot of one man who simply wants to be. RikuxSora pair later on. T for safety.
1. Prologue

**No, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I talked to Xemnas about it, but he refused to give to me. Talk about Stingy…**

**Also, I realize that** 'Ocean Eyes'** is the title of an Owl City album, and no, this is not based upon the songs or anything and no, I don't take credit for the name. I just thought it fit.**

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_The Man sighed, sitting on a rock as he listened to the whispers of the Sea before him. He could tell, that the boy that could make all of his pain—or lack thereof, considering his current state—go away. The Boy, with blue eyes the colour of the Sea would be awakening once more. His powers would grow vast amounts. He would become more than he ever had been before. He would do what this Man, who's face was shrouded by a black hood, needed done. He would free Hearts and ultimately complete the goal, maybe even lose his own Heart in the process. _

_It was no matter, as long as things got done correctly, the Boy's Heart would be an excellent contribution to the goal, but only at the ending. And this Man would make sure that the goal was completed accordingly. Oh yes, he would make sure that the boy did not lose his Heart before things were completed. He would make sure that the Boy did what was needed, and nothing more. Leaning forward on the rock he was sitting on, the Man continued to listen to what the waves were saying to him._

_Soon, the day would come when that small boy grew to an enormous height, maybe not physically, but in his powers. He would wield the Light like a brilliant sword and bring on a new era to all the worlds once more. He would wield the light that was as much a part of him as this Man's elbow or foot. Oh, how the Man dreamed of the Light, dreamed of having a Heart, having days filled with light, to live. He knew that could never be. Not how he was now. A Heart was the key to living, and the key to a Heart lay with the Boy._

_The Man whispered along with the waves as he got up off of his rock and smiled again. "Soon, your day will come, soon, you will help me…" he murmured, walking away from the dark waters that continued to whisper the name of the boy this man so desperately needed. As he walked away from the waters, the Boy's name escaped his lips. _

"Soon Sora…"

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**Okay, so, there's the prologue for you. This is going to be a rewritten version of one of my other stories, **'To the Sky'**. I didn't like where it was going, so I'm going to revive it here, only with a different sort of plot. It's still up there, if you want to read it, though.**

**Just so you know, this is set post-Kingdom Hearts II so no; the Man isn't Xemnas before you ask. I don't even know who he is yet, but suggestions would be nice. This is going to be my Winter Break Recreational Project, so I'll attempt to get a chapter up every two to five days. However, it depends on what's happening with my school work and how often I get kidnapped by friends. **

**Read and Review, please!**

**Thanks**

**~Star**


	2. Chapter 2

**Like I said in the last chapter, I [unfortunately] don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

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"_**Soon Sora…"**_

The brunet boy lying on the beach, stirred very slightly at the faint whisper. He was only just barely asleep, so it was no wonder to the boy's drowsy mind that he was hearing voices. Voices that weren't there. He stirred again, a little more violently this time, as a beach ball was thrown in his general direction and hit his stomach lightly, rolling off of him but staying within arms reach. Cracking open one brilliant ocean blue eye, the boy, Sora, tilted his head back a little so that he could see just who this ball belonged to. Two little upside down—because of his position—kids were running towards him. Letting out a breath, the seventeen year old sat up and grabbed the ball and rolled over onto his stomach, grinning at the two kids before rolling it back to them. The two kids thanked him before running off.

Sora sighed lightly as he stood up, beginning to wander on the smaller Island, the one they used to play on, it had been so long since he'd been there, and it felt almost unreal to be back. The brunet boy sighed again as he looked out over the ocean, smiling as he remembered the plan they had formulated to get themselves off of the Islands. He chuckled lightly at the thought, they'd been so… _uninformed_ to think that they would be able to get anywhere on their little raft. Overcome by a sudden wave of curiosity, Sora hopped up from his position on the rock and made his way over to the small shack that led to where they'd stored the raft, just to see if it was still there or if it had disappeared over the time they'd been gone.

It had been what? Three years? Four years. He'd spent one looking for Kairi, one asleep, and one hunting around for Riku and they had been back for one years. As he exited from the shack his smile returned as he saw the remains of the little raft sitting forlornly on the beach. The brunet teen made his way over to it and inspected it for a few minutes; it was almost the same as he remembered it. Only the wood was sodden and rotting from the almost three years of neglect that it had suffered from. Though obviously nobody had thought to do anything with it.

Still smiling, Sora sat down on the edge of the raft, the memories of their preparation for getting off the Island washing over him. He remembered Kairi telling him to get up and stop being a lazy-bum, then Riku coming along and telling both of them to get to work. Sora's smile faltered slightly as he thought of his best friend. The brunet teen leaned back against the 'mast' of the raft and sighed heavily. He still though of Riku the same way as he had when they were little, as his friend, he always had and always would. Throughout the time they were fighting against each other, when Riku had embraced his Darkness and been possessed to the time when Sora was searching for him, the boy had never stopped thinking of him as his friend. His _best_ friend.

It seemed as if Riku blamed himself for something, whether it was the embracing of the Darkness or for fighting against his best friend, or something entirely different, Sora really couldn't tell. Despite having known him forever, the brunet boy still found it difficult to read the other teen's emotions beyond what he showed on his face or the ones that were very strong, though he could tell that something had been bothering his friend when they were on the Dark Beach. Even before that, when he'd been concerned about facing everyone again, after what had happened. Yes, Sora had joked about it and yes, Riku had laughed at him, but there was still something wedged deep into the other that Sora couldn't get at just yet, even though it had been four years.

Thinking back, the brunet remembered that the other boy had nearly refused to come back to the Islands for whatever reason. Sora tilted his head back and stared at the clear blue sky. He had yet to figure out why his friend had hesitated, and couldn't work up the nerve to ask about it.

It wasn't that he was afraid of the older teen, definitely not that, he was more afraid of hitting a sore spot that might be just out of sight for him. Hitting the thorn and driving it in deeper. Really he didn't know why he was afraid of testing to see where Riku's wound lay. Sora's attention refocused from the ocean to a small sea turtle, presumably a baby, trying to make it towards the water before something bigger and nastier came and attacked it. He'd read somewhere that only a few of the Sea turtle babies that were born on the beach every really got to live because of all the predators that came and ate them. The brunet continued to watch the little turtle for a moment as it scrambled through and over the piles and craters of sand before he stood, moving over to the turtle slowly, being careful not to step on others, if there were any. Sora bent, picking up the turtle and placing it in the palm of his hand. As soon as his fingers had come into contact with the shell, the baby turtle had retracted inside its shell.

Smiling at it a little as he made his destination with a few short steps, Sora placed the baby turtle down by the edge of the water, before backing up and watching it poke its nose out after a moment before heading into the ocean and swimming away. Going back to his prior thoughts, Sora realized that his fear was not of touching the 'thorn' and driving it deeper, but the consequences of it. He was worried that, by touching that spot, Riku would retract himself into a shell of sorts, like the turtle, and block both himself and Kairi out. Kairi had expressed the same worry to him awhile back and they had discussed just how they could help their friend.

They were both going to try and do everything they could to help him over the next little while, and if they could, try and pull him out of that shell completely. Sighing a little, Sora kicked off his shoes, splashing out into the waves as he began to think of the up-coming holidays. He'd already gotten Kairi something…a gold heart-shaped locket in which he'd put a picture of the three of them, that they had taken at the Islands Mall recently. It was Riku he was having trouble thinking of a gift for. Perhaps he'd ask Kairi what he should buy for the other teen…Then again, if he asked, he'd most likely be dragged on one of her 'perfect gift' expeditions, like the last few years. Shaking his head a little, the brunet turned and returned to the shore, still contemplating what it was he could get for his friend.

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**There. This one is up early because the prologue was so short. The next one will be up Friday, most likely. And yes, I am adding holidays into this.**

**Reviews would be much loved!**

**~Star**


	3. Chapter 3

**If I owned Kingdom Hearts, this wouldn't be a **_**fanfiction**_**.**

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"_Sora…" _

_The Boy's name left the Man's lips once again as he stared at the door, his face still drenched in shadows so it couldn't be seen. Not that there was anyone around to see him. He was alone. Completely and utterly alone in the silence of the Dark Hell he was living in. Moving forward silently, with only the muffled swish of the cloak he was wearing giving any sign he was moving, the Man's hand reached out, as if to touch the door._

_His fingers stopped short, though, and he retracted his hand. The World's Keyhole would be screaming for it's savior by now. It would be calling to both him, and the Princess of Heart that occupied the Islands. Maybe others, as well. He was too close to it. The Darkness was too close. Things would not go well, if he were to enter into Destiny Islands then. The Boy's friends, the Princess of Heart especially, would recognize his presence there in an instant. The Boy would too, probably._

_But the Boy was so close! The Light he gave off was almost tangible, even on the other side of that accursed Keyhole. He was there. The Man could _feel_ him. And he wanted him. He wanted to force the Boy to do his bidding, so he would never cause a Keyhole to scream again. If only he could get through the door without alerting anybody on the other side. If only…_

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Suddenly, as he continued to think about what he might possibly buy or make [Cookies, maybe? Nah, he always managed to burn those…] for his friend, the brunet was overcome with a feeling he couldn't explain. It felt like something was calling to him… _Screaming_ for him. Calling his name, asking him to help. It wasn't a voice calling. It was just a feeling deep within him, in his Heart he could hear it screaming. Tilting his head to the side a little, Sora turned on the beach looking towards where The Secret Place was. Yes, it was coming from that direction…

The brunet hesitated for only a moment before making his way slowly towards the cave's entrance. He hadn't been inside the cave since that one time, while he was fighting Xehanort's Heartless, and he'd been on a fragment of Destiny Islands. But that didn't really count, did it? Since it had only been a fragment and an illusion. So…the last time he'd been inside would have been the night everything started, when he'd altered the picture he and Kairi had drawn when they were kids.

The Door, though, not the pictures was what Sora felt drawn to. It was the Keyhole to the world that he felt calling to him. Why? The Keyblade Master couldn't have said. But it was the door with no handle on it and rimmed with gold that his eyes sought out when he entered the larger cavern from the small passage.

Vaguely, as he walked towards the 'door' Sora wondered why he and the other children of the Islands—including himself and Riku, who'd discovered the place—had never questioned why the door was there in the first place.

"We never even…thought about it…" the brunet muttered, stopping in front of the door, his head cocked to one side again as he studied it. The calling had stopped, but his eyes narrowed very slightly and his eyebrows furrowed a bit.

Sure they'd tried to open it a few dozen times, but it had never gotten too far. They'd just pushed at it a bit and maybe hit it with a couple of rocks before giving up and going to play in the water or home for dinner. It had really never occurred to them that it was something more than just a random door that had no handle and wouldn't open, that had always been there. It was like the Islands, the sand, the _sky_, even. It just _was_. No questions asked. It had been there forever, and didn't need to be questioned.

One of the things that you never question in childhood, but when you look back, you have to wonder _why_ you never ever questioned it. Shaking his head, Sora started across the large cavern that made up The Secret Place. He paused in front of it, placing one hand on the door, letting out a breath as his eyes closed. It was this door that had started all of the events, really. This door and Xehanort's Heartless…It was the Keyhole that had been screaming. But…Why? It didn't make sense…Everything had ended, right? The Keyhole was locked, the World sealed. Xehanorts Heartless was gone was gone, and so was Xemnas and Organization XIII. It shouldn't be calling for help like that. Something was wrong. Awfully wrong.

"Sora?"

The brunet's head turned slightly at the sound of the soft female voice from behind him. He smiled very slightly at Kairi's sudden appearance in The Secret Place.

"Hey, Kairi." The Keybearer said, turned around completely to face her. "Why're you here?" he asked, knowing from the look on her face that it was the same reason he was there.

"You heard it too, didn't you?" she asked, stepping up beside him and placing her own hand on the door. "The screaming."

"Yeah. I heard it." Sora said, realizing it wouldn't do any good to hide it from her or skirt around the subject. She'd get it out of him eventually. "It was asking me for help." Sora said, sighing again and returning his attention to the door. He figured that Kairi had heard it because of her status as a Princess of Heart. It would make sense. Riku had probably heard it as well, he had been off doing something else while he and Kairi were on the Island, it was only a matter of time before he came here as well. For then, though, it was only the brunet and the redhead in the cave, both equally confused by what had happened.

"Why was the World screaming like that, though? What happened?"

Kairi's voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke the question that Sora himself had been asking, and Sora wished he had the answer to the question. The one person who might know was a World away…Literally. Sora had absolutely no idea on how to contact him, though. He couldn't just up and leave on the Gummi ship that had been left for himself, Kairi and Riku on the off chance that something happened. It was only two weeks until the Holidays. A trip to Disney Castle could take up to that long to complete. Not to mention that if something was wrong with the Worlds, they'd go on and fix it. But, it seemed to be the only option.

"Kairi. If the Islands are screaming like that...the other worlds must be as well. We need to find out what's wrong and if it's only happening here. We…have to go and talk to King Mickey."

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**Chapter Three! Well…Two, technically. The prologue doesn't count.**

**Anyway, thanks to **Peaceful Dragon Rose **for being my first and only reviewer and subscriber on this story. You get a cookie!**

**Please Review!**

**~Star**


	4. Chapter 4

**Still don't own Kingdom Hearts…**

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_Saying 'If Only' would get him nowhere! He must act and he must act quickly. They were heading off to talk to the Mouse King about what he had caused. They would not be on the World long. He would have to get things finished before they had a chance to leave the World. He would not be able to get to them in the Mouse's Castle, with that dreadful Corner Stone of Light hovering around. The Stone would scream even louder than the Keyhole did at his presence. He wouldn't get two steps in before he was attacked._

_How would he go about manipulating the Boy, though? How would he get to him? Make him angry?_ _Make him do what needed to be done? It struck him suddenly like a hammer blow. _

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Kairi had agreed with the decision Sora had made, and had gone off to find Riku and let him know then go and retrieve the go-bags the three of them had created a while back. It had been up to Sora to tell their parents about the planned trip and Riku to get the Gummi Ship up and running. Sora's job had probably been the toughest to complete. All of them were legally adults, himself and Kairi were nineteen and Riku was twenty, and living away from their parents, but they still needed to say something before leaving. They didn't technically need permission, but even so, it was be nice to tell their parents just where they were going right before the Holidays.

Shaking his head slightly, Sora continued to walk towards the apartment he was sharing with Riku and Kairi. He hadn't been able to contact any of the parents at their jobs for whatever reason and so had left notes at each house. That would be sufficient, right? He had gone over everything and didn't have to worry about interruptions. They wanted to leave in a couple of hours to speak with Mickey, and all of the questions their parents would have would take forever to answer if past experiences with trying to explain was anything to go by.

The brunet stopped abruptly as he felt a hand grab hold of his wrist. He turned a bit, ready to summon the Keyblade if it were an enemy of some sort but relaxed as he saw Selphie's grinning face.

"Hey, Selphie." The teen said, smiling at his friend. Tidus and Wakka weren't with her. Odd. The three of them were almost as inseparable as he Kairi and Riku were. "What's up?"

"Didn't you hear me, Sora? I asked if you Kairi and Riku were still coming out to the little Island to watch the meteor shower in an hour! I guess you were off in your own thoughts, though."

"Oh. Sorry." Sora hesitated a little in his response. Selphie's eyes narrowed a bit. She was every bit as good at sniffing out something being wrong as Kairi was.

"What's wrong, Sora? You sound as if something's wrong. Spill!"

"Uhm…We…We can't come, Selphie. Something's come up. Something really important and we can't make it…Next time. I promise!" Sora said, not giving her any details on what had come up on purpose. There was no point in ruining her night with worries that weren't her own. The other seemed as if she were going to protest, her face transforming into a cute pout that she must have picked up from Kairi, but something on his face seemed to stop her upcoming argument.

"Alright. But I'll hold you to that promise, Sora. Good luck with whatever you're doing." The younger girl said before running off in the direction of the Ocean waving over her shoulder. Sora smiled at the girl's back before continuing on towards the apartment.

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_The Girl. The Princess of Heart was his key. His key to the Key. He could use her…He_ would _use her. It was so simple, that the Man gave a laugh. It was a hollow sound. Something that wasn't all there. A shadow of what it could be. Just as He was. The Man had decided that the only way to get things done was to do it. She would be the leverage he needed. Had They not used her against him before? Had he not gone across the Worlds looking for her? She was his Key, and she was defenseless. The Boy and the other, his 'friend', left her alone all of the time. As he watched now, he saw she was alone. _Perfect.

_The Man created a Portal into the Darkness. The Darkness he longed to loathe so much and yet could not loath for he could not feel. He stepped towards the Door once more. Causing the World to scream didn't matter to him anymore. He had his task, and he would see it through._

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As Sora walked, he felt it again. That screaming in his Heart, tugging him towards the little Island. Asking him for help. Destiny Islands was screaming in pain again. The brunet Keybearer halted his steps, turning back towards the Ocean where he'd watched Selphie run to not half an hour before. The pain that the World was feeling twisting his face up. He could feel it now, too. Something else had happened, more than what had happened before. For a moment, he was tempted to run back to the little Island, to try and stop the Keyhole's pain. It was only a shadow moving across the sky that stopped him from doing so. He watched the Shadow move; it was heading for the apartment. The boy froze. It was heading towards Kairi.

The screaming that came from the Islands was drowned out by another that resonated from within his own Heart. This one he could clearly understand as Kairi's Heart calling to his own. Something was terribly wrong. Sora took off running towards the apartment, sudden anger and worry nearly blinding him as he ran.

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_She was so defenseless, despite the weapon she had armed herself with. She was in a defensive crouch in front of the pile of supplies she was gathering, a wooden baseball bat in one hand. She had sensed his presence in the Apartment the moment he'd entered it. Perhaps before when he was approaching. She'd managed to get the bat before he'd arrived anyway. The man moved silently, coming towards her. She swung at his head, and he caught the bat with ease before it even touched him._

"_Such a pretty girl. You shouldn't be making swings like that." He said, gripping the bat still and yanking it roughly from her grasp. Judging from the gasp she gave and the drops of blood that fell, he'd given her a couple of splinters at the very least. Perhaps torn one or two of her nails. He didn't care whether he hurt her, as long as he got what he wanted. Tossing the bat across the room, out of reach, the man continued to move towards the Princess of Heart. She tried to hit him, but he simply grabbed hold of her wrist, twisting it around so she yelped. She was weak. Physically, anyway. With a swift movement, he'd gotten her in the stomach and she was on the ground, doubled over from the pain he'd caused her, perhaps losing consciousness. _

"_You should not fight a battle you cannot win, Princess. It gets you hurt." His voice was soft as he spoke to the girl while he picked her up. He looked up as the door flew open and the Boy entered, looking from him to the Princess slung over the Man's shoulder. The Boy let out a sort of half growl and summoned his Keyblade, swinging blindly, breaking a lamp as he swung. The Man's eyebrow rose slightly as he stepped away from the Keybearer, avoiding the attack. _

_He placed the now certainly unconscious redhead on the floor before managing to get hold of both the Boy's wrists as he attempted to attack once more. Sora was blinded by what he felt, and so he was sloppy. It was easy to overpower him. The Man's lips twisted into a mocking smile as he pinned the Keybearer to the wall, both wrists above his head, the Keyblade dangling uselessly from one of_ _them. _

_The Man brought his face closer to Sora's, almost close enough so their lips could brush; their bodies were pressed together as well and he could tell that the Keyblade master was uncomfortable. That was not what he was aiming for, though. The closeness was merely because he was leaning all of his weight forward to restrain the Boy completely. What he was aiming for was to stare into those deep, Ocean blue eyes. To see the emotions the Boy was feeling at that moment, when he had been overpowered, as the Boy demanded to know what he wanted with the Princess. He saw defiance, anger and a hint of fear in those eyes and it made him smile._

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"What do you want with Kairi." Sora demanded of the man pining him to the wall. The closeness of their bodies and the man's face to his own was making the brunet very uncomfortable but he wasn't about to complain or try to squirm away from him. That would give him what he most likely wanted. A sense of power. The man in the hood smiled at his question and Sora could just barely see the outline of it in the deep shadows the hood he was wearing cast.

"What do I want with your dear Princess? I want nothing of her. I want _you_. I want you to do what I need you to do. The only way I can make that happen though, is to have you come after your dear friend." The man responded, laughing an empty laugh. A kind that Sora had heard before and never wanted to hear again. The brunet attempted to get away from him then, to go and get Kairi and run, an instinct he couldn't suppress, and he was only rewarded with the man punching him in the stomach. Sora let out a hiss of pain and the man released his wrists to allow him to sink to his knees, hunched forward and clutching his abdomen.

The man picked Sora up with ease and tossed him roughly onto the glass coffee table so it smashed, cutting the teen up where his skin was exposed, driving splinters of wood and glass into his skin while his head hit hardwood floor with an audible crack. The teen was barely conscious as he watched the cloaked man retrieve Kairi and come back over to him. Without meaning to, Sora flinched slightly as the hooded face came close to his again.

"You will do as I wish. You cannot refuse. If you do not come after her, she will be killed, I assure you of that, _Boy_." The man hissed, giving the brunet another kick to the side before striding towards the door. Sora watched him until he was out of sight, then his entire world went to black.

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**That's the longest chapter I've done so far…**

**Thanks to: **Lady Coldfyre** for Favoriting this story, **Densetsu-Chan** for Favoriteing and Subscribing, **El Pii** for Favoriting, Subscribing **_**and**_** reviewing and **Peaceful Dragon Rose** for reviewing again**. **You all get Cookies of Awesome!**

**Review Please!**

**~Star**


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